>> a war of words over ukraine, the countries acting prime minister suggesting russia now trying to start world war three as moscow and washington exchange even more tougher talk. >> the second part of president obama'sation pivot takes him to south korea, addressing north korea nukes. >> we can make this country safe and protect the guns. >> a plan aimed at reducing gun

violence in america caught in the cross hairs. how the centers for disease control now in the middle of the nation's gun debate. >> andy warhol's lost long digital works recovered, what they reveal about the artist. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters. increased fighting in ukraine leading a an escalated war of words. prime minister yatsenyuk saying russia is occupying in an attempt to impact ukrainian elections. >> vladimir putin warning ukraine of consequences following the killing of pro russian activists, announcing more defense drills along the border. >> putin's threats provoked a strong reaction from u.s. secretary of state john kerry. he promised more economic penalties. >> all of this as ukraine promised to use military force to remove those pro russian

accept are activities from government buildings in several eastern cities. we are tracking the story near the ukraine-russian border. >> they were deployed here a day after crimea voted to leave ukraine in mid march. the ukrainian border guards set a base near an abandoned form. they would be the first to face russian troops cross be ukraine. >> i don't think anyone is going to come, but looking at the big picture if that situation comes about, we will be the first to meet them. we are ready to fulfill all duties that stand before us. >> russia already has tens of thousands of troops stationed across the fields that separate the two countries where on ukraine's eastern border, russia is on this side. moscow said they were military exercises. the ukrainians have been digging trenches along the border an obstacle they hope to hold back

russian tanks. mass cos sudden military exercises after a crack down on protestors who took control of the towns east in the country. ukrainian soldiers say the russians have moved closer, but there's nothing they can do for now except monitor their movements from the sky. the sound of helicopters rumble aboard border village. >> >> >> she has been concerned about the military build up. >> my sister lives in russia. i visit them. if something was to happen, i don't know how i will see them. on my way to college, i see tanks. is it scary? of course it is. >> the border has never really existed for people living here. it's now become fortified, perhaps a symbol of an ever-growing divide.

>> both moscowed and kiev blame each other for the escalating conflict. neither side looks ready to back down until their demands are met. aljazeera is in moscow with more. >> we heard from sergey lavrov, the foreign minister. the sticking point appears to be that the signed agreement on thursday in geneva last week calls on separatists to vacate the buildings and give up their weapons. what sergey lavrov is saying it is implicit in the agreement that kiev must first of all clear independence square, which was the focus of the revolution, it must get their supporters out of the illegally occupied buildings in kiev, and they should disarm the right sector, that's the right wing radical group. he said if that happens, then

the leaders in the southeast of ukraine will follow suit, give up the buildings and undear their weapons. so you're getting one line there from lavrov putting at least something up. meanwhile, or rather sort of almost hysterical warning saying moscow is ready to start world war three. >> the situation in ukraine having an impact on the russian economy after being slapped with stricter rating on foreign occurrence, trim b. negative is the rating for russia, just above junk status.

stay with aljazeera america for continuing coverage of the crisis in ukraine. coming up at 7:30 eastern, retired brigadier general will talk about the military build up and warnings being issued. >> president obama is in south korea holding meetings with that countries president. on the agenda, efforts to ease tensions with japan and the potential threat of north korea's nuke year testing. south korea is in mourning a last week's ferry accident. >> leaving japan with no trade deal in place, president obama reassured tokyo that it would fight alongside japan if the dispute over islands escalates to armed conflict. it comes at a delicate time for the grieving nation, one week after a ferry disaster left more

than 300 dead or unaccounted for, many high school students. the president attended a service more military members and their spouses. a push for immigration bill back home, it remains stall would in the house. >> if there's anything that this should teach us, it's that americans are strengthened. >> then it was off to the national war memorial in seoul. a tour of the grandest palace. it is his meetings with the south korean president and what to do with its neighbor to the

north that will dominate talks with north korea threatening to conduct another nuclear test and activity around the test site, president obama said any test would meet a firm international response. >> it's important for us to look at additional ways to apply pressure on north korea, further sanctions that have even more bite. >> we are joined now from southee. what did president obama have to say about his earlier meeting with the south korean president? i've just come from the press conference that lasted an hour, president obama visiting this still grief sticken nation reeling from the ferry tragedy.

he brought a tree from the white house to be planted on the grounds. two issues on the table during the press conference, first, ukraine and the situation there. the president says he's going to talk to some european leaders tonight laying the groundwork as he put it, if it comes to more sanctions and making no pretense about it, it looks like it's heading that direction. the president a very personal exchange long distance with vladimir putin through the press. putin asked whether he would save president obama if he was drowning and the same question put to president obama. he said of course i think i'd save virtually anyone. he said that putin is not a stupid man and he has a choice, he can continue to escalate this cries and do irreparable harm to the russian economy or he can take a step back and honor the accords in geneva reached one

week ago that so far president obama said have been ignored by russia. north korea as the president arrived here, north korea showing signs that it is going to conduct yet another highly provocative nuclear test, it's fourth in a series. president obama said he will not reward north korea for its cycles and then are ultimately rewarded. he said there is no magic bullet to resolve this long standing dispute of 60 years. if they go forward, it could result in a regional nuclear arms race. >> mike viqueira, thank you. >> in an interview published today in a south korean newspaper, the president offered condolences over last week's deadly ferry accident saying when our friends are in trouble, america helps. we will continue to do

everything we can to stand with our korean friends at this official time. the official death toll now 181, scores of victims still not recovered from the sunken ship. relatives have lashed out in an all nightstand off, wanting the pace to be picked up recovering the bodies. >> a government air strike has killed at least 30 people, the attack happened on thursday in aleppo, syria's largest city. an explosion rocked a fruit and vegetable market there. it is a major battleground in the ongoing civil war. 1 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. >> aid workers managed to cross into the rebel held east of

aleppo city earlier this month. it was the first time since june assistance crossed through this front line. since then, the only border crossing has been closed. aid agencies have faced obstacles to reach those in need. >> they have been repeatedly requesting authorizations from the government to access areas that are directly affected by the fighting in aleppo. however, today, there is an additional challenge. there are roads that link both sides of the government and the opposition controlled areas in aleppo together that have been blocked. there are roads around the city that lead, that connect the city with other major cities in damascus that also, these roads have been blocked. >> a new push by the rebels threatened to cut off half the city that the regime controls, the highway in the southeast links aleppo to damascus further

south. this forced government sources to use a dirt road to reach the city, but even that is threatened. the opposition denies it is responsible for preventing supplies from reaching civilians. >> it is the regime who closed the corridor inside the city that connected the east and west. the regime wanted to seize the territory but now it is under siege. >> people living in the government-controlled west say prices of basic goods and fuel increased. according to u.n. agencies, on average 75% of aid distributions across the country occurred in areas controlled by the state. >> from turkey's border, it's about an hour's drive to the rebel held east of aleppo city, but the syrian government won't allow the united nations to use border crossings that are not under its control. u.n. agencies need to respect that. if it wants to continue operating in state controlled

regions, many civilians have south ref final. >> with all these obstacles, very little aid is reaching the hundreds of thousands of people living in the divided city where the battles have been over supply lines. >> syria's president bashar al assad recently announced presidential elections will take place in two months. >> we are learning more about those three americans shot and killed by an afghan police officer in kabul. one of the men was a doctor from chicago who spent nearly a decade treating the sick and wounded in afghanistan. the two other americans were also medical professionals, a father and son visiting that hospital. more than 24 civilians have been killed in the public venues in afghanistan over the past three months. >> the u.s. and israel reacting to the reunification of fatah and hamas. secretary of state john kerry saying negotiations between israel and the palestinians have reached a difficult point, asking both sides to continue talking, but israel prime

minister benjamin netanyahu saying that's not going to happen. he says hamas is a terrorist organization and israel will no longer negotiate with the palestinians. >> it's very important that we have clarity. as long as i'm prime minister of israel, i will never negotiate with the palestinian government backed by terrorist organizations committed to our destruction. >> on tuesday, both sides must decide on a deadline, whether to continue those current talks, despite netanyahu's statement, the talks are over. the state department says they won't say the negotiations are finished. spokeswoman said there have been ups and downs throughout the process. >> severe weather is a threat today through the weekend. >> for more on our national forecast, we turn to our meteorologist. >> another active day, but that threat's just further east to some of the larger cities across the mid atlantic on guard for strong to severe storms. it's going to be mainly outside

of charlotte and south of d.c. and baltimore. we're watching the storm system making its way eastward, spreading the rain and threat of strong storms. overall so far this year, we really haven't seen the number of tornadoes that we would typically see but at least this time of year, it's already april and we haven't seen any tornado taillightties, which is good news. we've been dealing with extremely cold air making its way down toward the gulf coast over the last several months. so we haven't had all the ingredients coming together, but things are now changing. we're starting to get more of a warmup across the deep south and along with the warmer temperatures, moisture fueled up into this area, as storm systems move out of the west, we have just the right ingredients coming together to produce the strong to severe storms. today, the threat will be here across the eastern u.s. this morning off to a fairly quiet start, but rain will move in and by this afternoon, we are watching out for thunderstorms.

rain not widespread across the east, but once it moves in, it will be a good thing here dealing with the threat of wildfires. we will moisten things up across the east. here's that next stormistic. it's going to push eastward. we are going to deal with wind, tornadoes and large hail. >> rain, rain and more rain. >> that's right. it's going to be soggy. >> thanks. >> an unlikely voice says more funding is needed to slow gun violence in america. >> it's a skeet shoot. i do it with my son and a friend from arkansas. >> he says government money is pleaded to stop the unnecessary bloodshed. >> i've often wonders are they better off as slaves picking cotton. >> one time supporters of the nevada rancher taking on big government backing away after he makes questionable comments many say are racist. >> at one point, $7 trillion for

a life saving effort. >> what today's big number has to do with keeping children healthy.

>> a healthy return on a health investment, today's big number $1.7 trillion. that's how much the centers for disease control will save on vaccines. >> it's part of a study, the cdc saying the projection includes $295 billion in direct medical costs and $1.3 trillion in societal costs. >> the cdc said vaccines given to infants and young children will prevent 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetime. >> an oregon advisory panel wants the state to drop its website and use the on line federal marketplace. fixing the existing system would cost the state $78 million and

take too long to implement. he claims switching to the federal system would cost between $4 million and $6 million. the full cover oregon board will consider the panel's recommendation. oregon could be the first of many states to make is that switch. >> the number of americans who want to buy a gun are skyrocketing, up 380% since 2005. according to "u.s.a. today," there is a backlog of 70,000 applications. the a.t.f. temporarily suspending part of its computerized system and hiring more employees to speed up the process. gun production is at a record high, meeting that demand, more than 8.5 million guns made this year. >> the n.r.a. kicking off its annual convention in indianapolis. this year, the focus on concealed weapons permits. all 50 states have them, but the n.r.a. wants federal recognition that would allow someone with a

permit in one state to carry a gun in every state. over the past few years, the n.r.a. has helped defeat a number of gun control efforts. >> another success has lasted nearly two decades, the group lobbying congress to cut funding for the cdc using that money to use the money to reduce gun related violence. some say that needs to change. >> in georgia this week, republican governor signed a bill making it legal for licensed gun owners to have weapons in bars, schools, churching and some government buildings. >> house bill 60 will protect law abiding citizens by expanding the number of places that they can carry their guns without penalty. >> as the national rifle association and other pro gun lobbyist groups were pushing for the gun bill a year ago, the u.s. house appropriations committee with its 29 republicans and 22 democrats

dismissed the president's request for gun violence research for the c.d.c. dr. mark rosenburg comes from a perspective you may not expect. >> you're a member of the n.r.a. >> i have been for a long time. >> and a gun sportsman. >> i love to skeet shoot, do it with my son and a friend from arkansas. >> as gun violence gained attention, he was leading c.d.c. research on violence and guns, but congress cut off the money. >> what the c.d.c. wants to do is both protect the rights of legitimate gun owners and reduce firearm injuries and death. they have been misportrayed. they have been portrayed as the n.r.a. as wanting to take away everyone's guns. >> it looks like the ban on research might end. after the mass shooting at newtown elementary school, president obama proposed

$10 million for gun studies. at that time, one of the few republicans who wanted to reconsider gun control laws was from georgia, put video games, and mental health on the table. today, kingston is running for reelection and leading the effort to block the president's request for research funding. the penalty's request to fund propaganda for his gun grabbing initiatives through the c.d.c. will not be included in the 2015 appropriations bill. among the proposals trying to be blocked, firearms prevention, gun safety technology and the influence of video games and other media. the c.d.c. said firearms kill or injury 100,000 people a year and cost the country $47 billion in medical and lost productivity costs. >> some gun advocates argue that president obama is an anti gun

leader and any research done propaganda. we talked to the head of the lobbyist group and that's what he thinks. >> we feel it's best that we armed ourselves and we can protect ourselves and we can stop it, and i can assure you that most places where people know that there are armed people in that area, they're not going to go in there and start anything. it's not going to happen. >> dr. mark rosenberg is hopeful. >> the answers are within our grasp, we can make this country safe and protect the guns. >> robert ray, aljazeera, atlanta. >> president obama lifted the ban on c.d.c. gun research last year through an executive order but needs congress to allocate funding. >> let's get a look at our -- >> our conversation with guns continues at 8:40, focusing on whether gun ownership protects or hurts people in one of chicago's deadliest

neighborhoods. >> let's get a look at the temperatures across the country today. >> he was so excited to get to you. >> so excited to get to you. >> you think you'd be in one of those warm spots, we are going to warm in the northeast but the real warm air is going to be across the deep south, dealing with record high temperatures across texas, low 80's shreveport, mid 70's in atlanta where is where we should be this time of year. the northeast, temperatures warming just a bit, but it's still going to feel on the cool side with northwesterly winds. low 60's around new york city and lower to mid 60's in d.c. heading into the upper midwest, temperatures are actually warming up. we're seeing snow into northern minnesota changing are a rain. back to you. >> ebony, thank you. >> ukraine and russia trading rather heated words again. >> with american troops, gathering in the region, some question whether u.s. military

involvement maybe eminent. we'll talk with a retired u.s. brigadier general about the situation on the ground and the american military build up. >> it's time for us to be a part of the discussion and i think that's huge. >> football players at northwestern university set to vote on a union. why getting it to pass may be he haar said than done. >> a little girl steals the show from first lady michelle obama.

primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time.

>> only on al jazeera america. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. >> retired brigadier general is here to talk about the escalating situation in ukraine

and whether the u.s. military could get pulled into the conflict. >> the lost works of andy warhol on a disk. the difficult process of getting them off of that ancient computer technology. >> in our next hour, have you heard of e-cigarettes? they're not part of your generation, but they're really hot. some say the new fda regulations don't go far enough. >> the president is in south korea, the latest leg on his tour of i-is that, meeting with the country's leaders to assure them the u.s. will protect them from their northern neighbors. >> a passenger is under arrest for causing a highjacking scare on australian virgin airlines fight, the drunken passenger tried to get into the cockpit of the plane as it flew to indonesia. he was handcuffed by crew

members until the plane landed and arrested. >> russia is looking to start world war three, said the ukrainians. the pact to deescalate the situation there appears to have completely fallen apart. it could spell more economic penalties for russia. >> who is to blame for this violence he is skating in eastern ukraine, for u.s. secretary of state john kerry, calling a late news conference there is no question it's russia. >> every day since we left geneva, every day, even up to today, when russia sent armored battalions right up to the border, the world has witnessed a tale of two countries. two countries with vastly different understandings of what it means to uphold an

international agreement. one week later, it is clear that only one side, one country is keeping its word. >> russian officials blame the ukrainian government, calling them puppets of the united states, saying the u.s. has to order them to withdraw their troops. the u.s. is making clear they have no intention to do that, but at the same time they've given no indication they will help the ukrainian military fight back by providing guns and bullets. >> there is a doubt that ukrainian military could use their systems in any way as currently organized and may become triggers for an immediate larger scale invasion by russia. >> if there is an invasion or further unrest, the warning now from the u.s., russia will pay for it with sanctions. aljazeera, washington. >> very strong words from

ukraine's prime minister saying russia wants to start world war three. joining us now, retired brigadier general and former secretary of state for military affairs. it's always great to have you. let's start with what yatsenyuk said. >> it's clear that there is a military overmatch in that region. if russia attacks, the ukraine will not have enough force to stop them. i would suspect it would take less than three days for russia to finish the operation. >> nato troops are nowhere near ukraine at this point. russia has 40,000 troops near the border with ukraine. they have begun air exercises on the border and are asking ukraine, a sovereign nation to pull its own troops back from its own provinces. is russia setting up a repeat of what we saw in crimea. >> i think it is.

if you look at their rhetoric, listen to it, they are clearly trying to justify and develop a pretext for an invasion, whether they call it an invasion for a peacekeeping operation to restore order. >> the ukrainian forces that have been deployed to places like slovyansk don't seem to have the skills needed. is it because they are up against russian special forces and not just activists? >> i think that's exactly right. somehow, we don't understand that russia has in fact already invaded ukraine. they've invaded militarily down into crimea, taken it over and nobody is talking about that. in eastern ukraine, they've sent an asymmetrical force. there has been a low level

invasion of eastern ukraine in any case. >> what do you suggest the west should do? >> well, what the west should do is what the west is unwilling to do, put forces inside of ukraine as a deterrent force to let the russians know that they can't cross this line. we did it for 45 years against the russians on the east german border, we do it every night with 12,000 american troops on the korean border. >> if foreign troops were to be sent to ukraine, wouldn't that be an escalation that could lead to a real war with russia, a nuclear power? >> first of all, i think that there is a very small risk of that happening. it is clear that vladimir putin is the neighborhood bully. he's going to take as much as he's given, and if nobody stands up to him, he's going to continue this activity. people believe that somehow simply putting forces on the ground in a preventative

deployment will somehow become a provocation for war. in fact, showing strength is probably the best guarantee of deterring a war. >> but that's a risk, isn't it? >> everything's a risk in this world, but there's a much, much higher risk that soon we'll see ukraine for century was part of the european heart land now becoming a russian province again. >> short of putting boots on the ground and the obama administration certainly isn't talking about that, the u.n. won't be ail to do that because russia is a voting member in the u.n. security council, short of that, what types of sanctions do you think might work to change putin's behavior? >> that's the core of the u.s. strategy, to somehow match military strength with economic strength, that somehow we can change his calculations not on a military to military basis but on an economic to military basis, so we continue to hear from this administration there

will be more and more sanctions and will harm the not only the russian oligarchs, but the russian people, but i would point to some countries like iraq for years and years lived under sanctions, iran continues to live under sanctions and i don't see demonstratable proof that sanctions have significantly changed the behavior of the nations in the past. >> some say the economies are more engaged. we'll have to leave it there. thank you. >> bolivia's military fired soldiers protesting for better working conditions. the military says they committed acts of sedition. they say they are discriminated against. protest leaders were fired on monday, as well. >> protestors and police

clashing in rio de janeiro. residents in the shanty town where a man was shot by police say he was mistaken for a drug dealer. police are investigating. there are fears this incident could affect security at the world cup which kicks off in june. >> the underwater serve for the missioning malaysian airlines jet is widening. the sub scanning the indian ocean did not find debris. they plan to expand to the adjacent areas. malaysian officials will release the preliminary findings of their investigation next week, including the plane's cargo manifest and seating arrangement. >> a drunken passenger caused a scare on a plane frying from bris bonn to bali. the intoxicated man tried to enter the cockpit.

the pilot reported a flight emergency. police say the suspect was arrested after that plane touched down. >> the average gas price in the u.s. is $3.50. imagine if that jumped to $7 in days. that's what people in iran are bracing for this week. the government announced it will cult state subsidies on pet parole yum, meaning prices go up 75% today. the move is meant to boost the iranian economy dealing with strict economic sanctions over its nuclear program. >> parliamentary election are set to take place in iraq. insurgent attacks are increasing. one of the main target, oil pipe lines. the country is still struggling for stability three years after u.s. forces pulled up stakes. >> in the land of black gold, these men are responsible for keeping the oil flowing. they are the iraq oil police.

>> the commander briefs his charges for another day on the front line. across iraq, they mount defensive operations as well as intelligence gathering on potential threats. it's a dangerous job. this commemorates those who died in the line of duty. >> the police were formed in 2007. after the american invasion in 2003, iraq's energy infrastructure was in chaos, gangs smuggling oil from pipe lines selling it on to foreign countries. the kinds of threats that the iraqi oil police face now have become much more dangerous. >> iraq's oil pipe lines and facilities are attacked on a weekly basis by armed groups, damage runs into the millions. the oil police are controlled from here in the oil ministry in bag dad, a big operation spread across the country. the brigadier general is well

aware of the threats and say they need more help. >> we are facing a fierce assault, especially during 2013 and going through this year. the enemy considers oil as weapon in this open war, so the enemy strategy is to bomb and attack facilities. i continue to ask for more weaponry and more vehicles, but so far, none have been received. >> looking to the future, iraq knows energy security is important, which is why it's one of the big issues during the election campaign. all political parties are aware that securing iraq's future depends on securing oil pipe lines. >> iraq is the world's fastest growing oil exporter, but little profit reaches ordinary citizens. >> two popular popes will become saints this weekend, formally approved for the process. it's a move that is sparking

praise and criticism among clicks. john powell ii led the church for 27 years, passing away nine years ago, making his cannonnization the farthest in modern times. john 23 pope pope died 50 years ago. nick shiv is going to report on the controversy surrounding it and what makes the path to sainthood this time significant. >> the nevada rancher with a government stand off is losing supporters. videos surfaced of him speaking disparagingly about african-americans. >> they abort their young children, they put their young men in jail because they never learned how to pick cotton. i've often wondered were they better off as slaves. >> he has become something of a poster child for the anti-government movement. he refused to back down when

federal agents attempted to stop his cattle from grazing on public land. that move was supported by senators rand paul of kentucky and hiller of nevada. both deannounced his recent racist comments. he made it worst explaining himself. >> are they slaves the way they are or do they live as slaves do with charity and government subsidized homes and are they slaves when their daughters are having abortions and their sons are in the prisons. >> earlier this month, armed militia's clashed with federal agents when the bureau of land management seized his catting, saying he owe's a million dollars in fees for grazing on public property. >> football players in northwestern university voting today on whether they want union representation. a yes vote will have a major impact on the way collegion operate athletic programs. today's vote followed a ruling

by a regional chapter of the national labor relation little board saying students on athletic scholarships are university employees and have the right to unionize. we are in evanston, illinois. when will we know the results of today's vote? >> certainly not today, because once those votes are taken, you mentioned the lower court made that decision. the full nlrb is going to review the regional directors decision, the votes are going to be held until the full board makes the decision on it. >> there's been a lot of lobbying on campus on both sides of this issue. what have people been saying about the vote? >> well, overall, the students really that we talked to on campus didn't have a lot to say bit, but the players seemed to be split on it and here's what a couple of them had to say. >> it's time for players to have a seat at the table and you can't run from it, you can't meet us with closed doors. it's time for us to be a part of the discussion. i think that's huge. >> this university i'm really

fortunate to be in my position. i don't think a union needs to answer for my team. >> as you can see, it could go either way. it's hard to say. >> i think this is the question a lot of people want to know. what happens to college football if players form unions. >> there's been speculation that if this team is allowed to unionize, this could be the end of division one sports at many private universities, but that may be an exaggeration. we reached out to some schools. they didn't have a lot to say about it, but we talked to a labor attorney who thinks that there's been dialogue. there probably will be dialogue between those schools and their athletes. certainly they opened the lines of communication between the teams, and the student players. >> diane esther brook joining us live from illinois. thank you very much. >> when the buffalo bills take the field this season, they're going to be doing it without cheerleaders. the company ma managed the

buffalo jills have suspended operations to the end of the season. the decision follows five days after the bills former cheerleaders filed a lawsuit saying they work hundreds of hours for free and were subjected to groping and lewd comments. the decision to suspend operations won't affect their case, because it addresses they say past complaints. no jills no more. >> to today's headlines making news around the world. a big change to the country's oldest woman's magazine, the ladies home journal. that i think is more of your generation than mine. the wall street journal said it will be converted to a quarterly news stand only title this fall. these are kind of cool to see these old covers. >> so old, they're retro now. >> they used to ice skate in cute dresses. >> now only able to get it

quarterly. kids do really say the darnedest things. an unusual gifford the first lady received from a 10-year-old girl thursday. it was take your daughters to work day. her mom works at the white house, but her father has been unemployed for three years. as you can see, she goes up and hands michelle obama her father's resume. >> wow. >> michelle says ok, she says i got it and did tell the little girl that she's going to try to help her dad. >> her mom works at the white house. >> the mom does, the dad unemployed. >> you can now say selfies are truly out of this world. time has the story of an astronaut who took a selfie from space. this is an american astronaut, which, who is there now. he takes the best selfie, but not in the world. ever. >> ladies home journal now to selfies and out of space.

technology has really changed. >> another story is going to have a lot of women talking and probably celebrating, as well. >>. a smear deaths could become a thing of the past with new screening methods. this is a story i know you're working on for the next hour. >> this is going to affect women 25 and older. we've been getting. a smear tests for years, right? this is something some women would celebrate, however there are groups in the medical community, particularly some women's health groups who are against this. i'm tell you why coming up. >> can't wait to hear why i won't have to do that anymore. >> andy warhol and a computer floppy disk. >> the artwork recently discovered that proves the artist was ahead of his times right up until his death almost 30 years ago. >> cool. >> new planets formed way out in space captured in camera, our discovery of the day.

>> time now for today's discovery. >> images show plan tear systems emerging from clouds of gas. >> they reveal stars with unusual heat signature, scientists are excited about the picture, saying the images give a better understanding of how planets form. >> thousands of new planets have been discovered. nasa hopes she will shed light on the field of as strong my that is still relatively new and cool. >> another cool discovery on earth, andy warhol may have paved the way for programs like microsoft paints.

>> first, wet, soggy rain. >> we actually do need it in some areas of the country. that's where we're going to get it. it could disrupt plans for those wanting to head outdoors. >> imaginary shows the moisture. our first storm system is widening up heading eastward, helping to trigger the strong to severe storms across the mid atlanta region and eventually bring lane into the northeast. our next storm system is bringing scattered showers in across central and southern california along with high elevation snow. snow across the upper midwest is going to wind down. we expect to see a few more rain showers today. >> thank you. >> andy warhol was without a doubt one of the most influential artists and dabbled in computer art before his death in 1987.

a team of artists unveiled a dozen digital works that were hidden on floppy disks for 30 years. the associate professor of art at carnegie melon university in pittsburgh joins us this morning. younger generations don't know what a floppy disk is. how were these files discovered? >> warhol was commissioned by commodore international to create art works to launch the computer in 1985. back then, works were stored on floppy disks as were all different kinds of media and software. the software files were residing on these disks and they had not been -- we weren't even aware they were there for 30 years. >> i was looking at images of the computers thinking they are antiques and how scary that is

knowing how short a period ago that was. how difficult was the process of retrieving the images? >> one of the interesting challenges was that we knew that we only had one shot to get the data off of the disks. it's very likely that the process of reading the data off these very fragile media could have destroyed data on them in the first place. another problem, it was confusing as to whether or not there was data to be found on them. when we found it, it was in formats we couldn't read and had to develop methods for reading the data into the images you see. >> what is this telling us about andy warhol embracing new mediums. we saw what he he did with traditional art, but seemed he was moving to the next generation of artwork. >> i think this shows warhol was really much more ahead of his time than we give him credit for perhaps or that he's even more ahead of his time than we knew. we knew that he was doing work with the omega, the debby harry

portrait known to have come out of the process, looking at this work shows a new perspective on how well he knew about working with these images. >> last year, a painting, his silver car crash double disaster sold for $105 million, the second most expensive piece of art at the time. how much are these digital images worth? >> i think for the first thing that the museum has made very clear, they're not actually considering these art works. that sounds strange but makes sense in the sense that war hole would make art works for public presentation. the images that we discovered on these disks are experiments, sketches, doodles, they're him trying to understand the need yum. although they look like images we might recognize, the soup

can, they were never intended for public release and in that way will probably never be released or appear on an art market in a traditional sense. >> this led down to a mad dash of people searching through his other belongings for a new treasure trove? >> i'm not sure about that. this has important implication for both digital media preservation in terms of media already in collections, like floppy division in libraries and museums everywhere and says something important about measures we can take today to better enable media to be preserved for the future. >> a zonkie was born. it's not a dr. zeuss creation. it's a cross scene a zebra and donkey, this little one has the

striped legs of its mom, face of the dog. usually their chromosomes are not compatible. >> president obama's asian trip continues. he said the u.s. will help protect south korea from north korea. >> >> foreign troops including americans gather in eastern europe. >> more death is in aleppo, the government continuing to drop bombs on that city. >> two of the most popular popes in recent memory, john powell ii and john xxiii set to become saints this weekend. the controversy within the catholic community. >> solar power cells 60 years old, we look at their increasing role in our energy future. >> the severe weather threat continues and we could see strong storms through the

weekend and early next week. >> we are back with you in two minutes. you are watching aljazeera america.

>> standing shoulder to shoulder, president obama offers support to southee on the issue of north koreas threat to the region. >>. a smear alternative, the f.d.a. approving a genetic test for cervical cancer screenings, some saying the substitute doesn't pass the test. >> the roman catholic church prepares to make two saints. >> it didn't stop criminals from

losing guns, just stopped law abiding citizens from protecting themselves. >> firing off rounds of debate over gun control. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> president obama is in south korea at this hour, the second leg of his week long tour, holding meetings with that countries president. north korea playing a large role in today's meeting, threatening to conduct another nuclear test and increased activity along the nuclear test site. president obama saying south korea can count on the u.s. for support. >> with regard to north korea, the united states and south korea stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of provocations and in our refusal to accept a nuclear korea. >> mike viqueira joins us now. president obama held a press conference just a few hours ago

which you attended. what did the president say about today's meeting? >> the first thing, just nine days, suffering from that ferry tragedy and this is certainly a nation still reeling, the president cognizant of that will present a gift to korea and that high school that lost so many students, the gift a magnolia tree from the south lawn of the white house to be planted ocean of that high school. the people have had their doubts because the president's attention is pulled elsewhere. >> ok. it looks like we are having problems there with the live shot in south korea. we'll continue. increased fighting on the ground in ukraine is leading to an escalating war of words.

a short time ago, ukraine's prime minister yatsenyuk accused russia of trying to start world war three, saying russia is occupying militarily and politically to impact the elections. his statement followed secretary of state john kerry blasting moscow for not deescalating the conflict. >> russia has chosen an i will legitimate course of armed violence to try and achieve with the barrel of a gun and the force of a mob what couldn't be achieved any other way. they have tried to create enough chaos in the east to delay the elections or force ukraine to accept a federalism that gives russia control over its domestic and foreign policies, or even force ukraine to over react and create an excuse for hill tear intervention. >> we will have a live report from moscow shortly.

>> a u.s. military group kicked out of h ecuador, 20 have until the end of the month to leave the country. the ecuador president complained there were too many military officers there. relations have been strained in recent years, ecuador providing asylum for wikileaks creator in 2002. >> there was a scare for passengers onboard a flight when a passenger tried to get into the cockpit of the virgin airlines flight. that forced the pilots to send a distress signal which created the impression the flight was being highjacked. the plane landed and troops boarded the plane arresting the man. virgin blamed the confusion on a miscommunication. >> a chicago doctor was killed in an attack on an afghan

hospital. the pediatrician spent a decade treating children in afghanistan. his death is a great loss for his family and the afghan people. two other americans died in the attack on the hospital. the violence just the latest in a series of attacks on foreigners in afghanistan. >> there has been a major change for cancer screenings among women 25 and older. a smear tests could become a thing of the past with a new test. >> this could ultimately replace. a smears altogether? >> yes. that's according to the f.d.a., that just approved a genetic test that could be the first r. alternative to the. a smear, which has been the proven method to screen for cervical cancer. this new test examines d.n.a. to detect h.p.v. that causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer in that in the trial, the f.d.a. said the test proved to be such an accurate screening method it's been cleared to replace

the. a smear. a coalition of 20 groups, including the a.m.a. women's association argue against the idea, saying the new method has not been through enough testing. this could lead to confusion, higher cost and overtreatment. this coalition of groups wrote: >> one group, the cancer prevention and treatment fund put it simply. when the old ways are affected, lets not throw them out until there is proof the new way is better. this new test would cost almost twice as much as the. a smear. >> thank you. >> let's go back to mike viqueira. he's joining us now from south

korea. let's continue with what was on the agenda today, north korea, what did president obama say about the north and its relationship with the international community? >> >> today, a start to president obamaed visit, north korea clearly a provocation calculated time to coincide with his visit, experts agree the south korean leader confirmed it, they appear to be preparing for a very provocative nuclear test, the fourth from north korea. it may come even while president obama is here. the president tried to remain level-headed during the press conference that he just had with the south korean leader, and said that the cycle of reward where north korea engages in provocative activities, missile

launches of which there have been several and nuclear tests, this would be the fourth over the last several years. he is not going to be sitting down at the table and rewarding that kind of behavior. at the same time, he says there is no magic bullet. he can't promise resolution in the days, monthsar six months ahead. he is working hard to get japan and south korea back on the same page, present a unified front. here's more of what the president had to say. >> threats will get north korea nothing, other than greater isolation. we're united on the steps he needs to take including abandoning nuclear weapons and ballistic weapons program. >> president park went so far as to say that if north korea were to go forward with this test and it appears that they are preparing to do, judging from satellite imagery, experts and the south korean government itself, that would trigger a

regional nuclear arms race, very destabilizing and a matter of great concern here this evening. >> we also want to turn back to the escalating war of words in ukraine. we are live in moscow now. the war of words went up a notch. what do you make of the world war three statement by ukraine's prime minister yatsenyuk? >> i think it's a sign of just how tense this situation has become. that was quickly followed up by the russian foreign minister, sergey lavrov saying that the military operation which is now being carried out in the east of ukraine by the ukraine forces from kiev is a bloody crime, and the interim government would face justice as a result of that. we're also getting some very strong words we'd had overnight out of the united nations, the

russian ambassador to the u.n. said that if ukraine doesn't stop its military operations against the separatist rebels in eastern ukraine, he's going to call an urgent meeting of the security council. he said the worst case scenario would mean deploying armed force to say stop the bloodshed. this is the third day in a row this has been mentioned. wednesday, it was lavrov, yesterday putin and then overnight it was at the u.n., a reminder that russia reserves the right to bring its troops into eastern ukraine if it feels its citizens are under threat. >> peter sharp live in moscow this morning, peter thank you very much. >> also, a health concern, measles cases on the rise in the u.s., affecting more than 120 people in 13 states this year. according to the centers for

decease control, that's the highest number of cases since 1996. the infection was thought to be eradicated at the turn of the century, most cases have been brought by travelers and spread to unvaccinated people here. >> a panel in oregon wants to use the federal marketplace for affordable care act. fixing the existing system would cost the state $70 million, take too long to implement. switching to the federal system would cost between $4 million and $6 million. the full cover oregon board will consider the recommendation later today. >> i bet she says the rain is needed, but a wet start for the weekend, including severe weather chances. >> we won't blame you. >> i appreciate that, just the messenger. we will need to watch the mid atlantic, dealing with rain and the threat of strong to severe storms this afternoon and evening.

it will be across pourings of the carolinas into virginia, including d.c. we are not under a slight risk for severe weather but could see a strong storm or two. this morning, we start on the dry side. that moisture will increase. most of the rain further back to our west, right aren't that area of low pressure that will rotate eastward through the day. this morning, light rain, pretty heavy thunderstorm activity in lexington, kentucky. on the backside, we have cooler air allowing snow in northern areas of minnesota. we are seeing that around duluth. that will wind noun and snow changing over to rain through the day. across the western u.s., we have an on-shore flow. we'll be watching this area closely. we have a big dip in the jetstream and it's this energy that is going to help trigger some scattered storms that we will see getting into this

weekend. saturday the threat will stretch from northern texas to the midwest. sunday, it's going to push a little bit further east and we'll deal with a moderate risk around dallas into little rock. saturday into sunday, the central u.s. will be the focal point for the strong to severe storms, including the threat of tornadoes. >> clashes in brazil after a funeral for a popular dancer. police and residents of the rio de janeiro shanty town clashed for three days following the death of the professional dancer tuesday. officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse an angry crowd. the protestors say police shot the man believing he was a drug dealer. officials acknowledge the man may have been killed by the police officers and promised an investigation. >> football players at northwestern university voting today on whether they want union

representation. as we report, a yes vote could have a major impact on the way colleges operate their athletic programs. >> northwestern football's wildcats are the talk of college sports, but freshman quarterback keith watkins had little to say about efforts to organize his team. >> i'm not eligible to say anything. everything is supposed to be kept inside right now. >> they stunned the sports world when senior quarterback announced the team would vote on union representation, claiming they were employees who make millions for the school but treated unfairly if injured while playing. a regional director of the national labor relations board said the team could organize. since then, easy lobbied lawmakers on behalf of all college athletes. >> it's time for players to have a seat at the table. you can't run from it and you can't meet us with closed doors.

it's time for us to be a part of the discussion and i think that's huge. >> opponents including the former president of northwestern say otherwising could jeopardize division one sports. in a statement, it said: >> it's our time to educate them. we have to help them understand the whole aspect of what this decision is. >> the team's current quarterback has also taken a vocal stand against the unions. >> i don't support it. i think that this university i'm really fortunately to be in the position i'm at. i don't think a union's the answer for my team. >> opinion is clearly split. a former member of northwestern's swim team said there's value in having a union and points to what she calls rigged ncaa rules, including one

she violated in the 1990's. >> i just wrote an article for a swimming magazine that was a really glowing article about one of my teammates. that that violated an ncaa policy against athletes working. >> regardless of what happens at northwestern, the vote is triggering conversation that could change the relationship between schools and student athletes everywhere. aljazeera, evanston, illinois. >> after voting ends, the ballots will be taken to a secure location. they won't be voted today. >> the government looks to snuff out a lack of rules on e cigarettes, big changes coming to the popular tobacco alternative and whether that will be enough to please critics. >> an army citizen faced with the growing threat of gun violence in their back yards. one chicago gun rights activists who believe residents should be legally locked and loaded and just to keep them safe. >> a really close encounter with

the animal kingdom as a group of tourists get a personal hello from a pod of whales. that story and more in our global gauntlet.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. rebels in aleppo continue an assault, opposition forces firing on a complex they claim is a weapons store by pro government forces. >> in new delhi, more than 500 huts in one part of the city were destroyed by a massive fire that tore through the area. plastic and wood kept in the area fueled that blaze. >> getting up close to a group traveling by boat, whales getting close enough for people to pet them. the whales in that area are known to socialize with humans. >> very, very cool. >> up next, the government cracking down on e cigarettes

which have now become a multi-billion dollars industry, and growing. >> first a look at temperatures we can expect across the nation today. for that, we turn to ebony deon. >> it's cool for many across much of the upper midwest, a lot of 30's and 40's. the only warm spot across much of the southeast and along the gulf coast 60 says and 70's are starting the day. dallas is going to be a hot one. typically upper 70's, but temperatures close to 90 by the weekend. a few strong to severe storms are possible. we are going to dry out, a warm start to the weekend with high tents in the mid 70's. we are expecting low 90's in phoenix, 76 in denver. the northeast, we are experiencing a warm up, 67 degrees by saturday around new york city. back to you. >> for the first time, the

f.d.a. is proposing regulating e cigarettes, overseeing the industries same way at traditional cigarettes. we plain what regulations will mean for increasingly popular devices. >> it's taken five years for the u food and drug administration to exercise its authority to regulate electronic cigarettes. big tobacco companies are leading the way, offering new brunts with advertising pitches like this: >> i get to have a blue without the guilt, because it's only vapor, no ash, no odor. >> the regulations would require ingredients to be listed, limiting risk to those based on scientific evidence, and banning vending machine sales unless they're located where under age youth are barred.

>> fruit flavorings are particularly targeted at younger users. >> at this store in washington, which already restricts its customers to ages 18 and up, the manager said the regulations welcome. >> there are companies making products that are not reputable. they could make sure products are rye liable and made properly. >> they promise to help reduce the conventional smoking rate in america, which hasn't fallen between 20% in recent years. >> e cigarettes will be more part of the solution than the problem. >> the big question about e cigarettes, are they going to reduce the number of people that smoke or act as a gateway to smoking among kids. >> the answer to that question will depend on the final shape

of the regulations and research to help determine whether smoking habits are converted into something safer. >> according to the centers for disease control and prevention, from 2011 to 2012, the percentage of high school students who reported using an e cigarette doubled from 4.7% to 10%. in february alone, poison control centers logged 215 calls involving e-cigarettes. 51% of those calls involved children. dean of the school of public health at georgia state university, one of 14 u.s. incidents substitutions conduct the f.d.a. funded research and former director of the office an health at morning. you certainly have the expertise to speak about this. are the regulations enough to satisfactory public health advocates like yourself? >> yesterday's announcement from the f.d.a. is really the first

step in their regulatory efforts to control and assure e cigarettes do good as opposed to harm. we expect to see the regulations expanded over time as the science comes in, so the actions that the agency does are the positive force and begins to reduce the leading cause of death in our society, which is traditional cigarettes and the smoke that they generate in order to get nicotine. that's what this is all about, how can we reduce smoke. >> excluded from these new f.d.a. rules were restrictions on whether flavors of e cigarettes should be banned. the government doesn't regulate flavored vodka, wired flavored e cigarettes be band? >> the government does regulate favored cigarettes. a few years ago, r.j. reynolds sold pena coal lad da

cigarettes. the f.d.a. has the authority and has banned flavors in cigarettes. they have done it for traditional cigarettes and the question is should they or would they do it for e cigarettes, as well. >> the reason they want to ban flavored cigarettes is because of children. the f.d.a. decided not to regulated the advertisements of cigarettes. will they clearly knocked children? >> unfortunately, the marketing has been completely irresponsible. viewers can go on google and google jenny mccarthy and blue cigarettes and see the types of advertisements currently out there, which really hype sex and flam mother and sophistication. the same thing said cigarette companies did decades ago.

there's one company that their theme is welcome back, wanting exsmokers to come back into the nicotine franchise, a great concern to me and other public health experts. >> what do we know science wise with regard to e cigarettes? i mean, you have said that they're not as bad as cigarettes, but could they be harmful in other ways to public health? >> well, that's the real crux of this matter, that it's clear and if a smoker were to smoke an e cigarette, it would be a benefit to them because it's the smoke that kills and e cigarettes don't have smoke, just nicotine. the f.d.a. has to look at this from a population standpoint, not just an individual. they have to look at what proportion of kids will start using nicotine that otherwise wouldn't and they may become traditional smokers. we've seen many people who use these cigarettes continue to smoke traditional cigarettes and

ue cigarettes when they can't smoke normally. they may actually be getting more nicotine. these are the types of questions that the f.d.a. needs to answer to begin to intelligently regulate e cigarettes in a way that will advance the public health. >> if nicotine isn't dangerous, why are poison control centers getting so many calls on these devices. >> it's important to understand that it's not nicotine that is dangerous, not as dangerous as smoke. and it is cardiovascular stimulant, pregnant women can't be prescribed nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine at higher doses is a rat poison, so nicotine is not a benign substance, just not as bad as smoke. to think that millions of americans and around the world are inhaling vaporize nicotine into their lungs thinks it's safe is not the right idea. that's not the case. it's just better than smoking.

>> dean of the school of public health at georgia state university in atlanta this morning, thanks for your insights. >> two beloved catholic popes set to receive one of the lee lidgeen's highest ors, the canonizations, the divisions the move is creating. >> the united nations taking action over the ethnic mass ask hers in south sudan following an attack on one of its convoys, the new crisis growing for the more than 1 million people displaced by the bloodshed. >> the new 9/11 museum finding itself at the center of a controversy before it opens. interfaith leaders up in arms, worrying about the safety of the muslim community. >> an olympic champion swimmer michael phelps making his comeback to the pool. he retired, earlier and came in

second place to ryan lochte in arizona on thursday.

>> results of analyses were

skewed in favor of the prosecution >> the fbi can't force the states to look at those cases >> the truth will set you free yeah...don't kid yourself >> the system has failed me >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. >> ahead in our next half hour. >> the nra convention in indianapolis today, in chicago, gun ownership upping, residents arming themselves amid a surge of deadly violence in that city. >> why some of upset over a portion of the 9/11 museum that just opened and the way it portrays the highjackers in the 9/11 attacks. >> a historic weekend in rome, two popular popes set to become saints. john paul ii and john xxiii approved for the process,

sparking praise in the community. we talk to a man who said he knew john paul was a saint. >> johnny has always known what he wanted to be. he's been cutting hair, shampooing, shaving for 60 years and he's only 66. >> this is my best, my work, my job, my life. >> he fills his barbershop with a lifetime of memories and mementos. some are ancient. >> does it work? oh! >> some a mere half century old. >> i could get used to this. >> there's one memory he cherishes most. >> used on john powell ii.

>> yes, johnny cut his hair and shaved him. a month later, he became john paul ii. >> is john powell ii a saint? >> yes, he's definitely a saint. he was one even before becoming the pope. >> to become a roman click saint, a person must perform miracles. johnny says a miracle was performed on him. when he was 62, he help 80ed a disk. his life's work was at risk. doctors said he needed surgery. in the hospital, johnny said he saw a photo of john paul in black and white like this one that he took. he says the photo spoke to him and just a few days later, he was miraculously cured. >> when i went to the hospital, i could barely walk. i looked like an old man, but after five days, i checked out and i was running. >> the vatican never confirmed his recovery as a miracle, but

polls of his customers all call john paul a saint. >> many young people including me approached the church thanks to him. it's a good reason to declare him a saint. he was very special. >> john paul has his critics. some say he shielded abusive priests. others argue it's too quick to canonize him. for johnny, it's simple. john paul saved and keeps saving his life. >> to me, it was like he was my father. i don't call him pope, but father. when i'm in need, he's always there. >> thanks to john paul, johnny is always here for his customers. nick shiv, aljazeera, rome. >> assistant professor of theology at catholic university is in washington, d.c. this morning, two popes canonized on

the same day, why is this significant? >> i think it's significant for several reasons. of course there have been popes made saints before. this is the first time we've had two made saints at the same time. my view is basically that the double canonization is bound up with a watershed event in the 20th century. >> john xxiii calmed the council and thus the origins of the council bound with his life. john ii implemented the council and it's very much concerned with his virtue and holiness as a pope and saint. the end of the council was to facilitate holiness, so it's appropriate to recognize that these two men are indeed saints. i should say that the church doesn't ever make saints, that god makes saints and the church

merely comes to recognize them. >> what do you say to those who say the church may not make saints but does make public relations and the sex scandal over the last decade has been a p.r. nightmare. is this more about the canonization of two poles or p.r. for the catholic church. >> i think there's always a temptation to look at every sainthood cynically, that it's not possible for someone to become a saint, that this is simply a p.r. stunt or polishing of the brand, but it's a very long process, the canonization process, even a fast track process is a long one. i think respecting the pros means respecting all of the work that goes into it, long before one has to polish an image. >> was the process in this case respected? many believe john powell ii is

being canonized very quickly compared to his predecessors and there is a question of the number of miracles performed by john paul talent iii. >> it has been cause for concern that we have for gone the five year waiting period normally required and for john paul xxiii not requiring the second miracle required. the child sex crisis remains, as well. this is cause for concern and i don't dismiss them at all. >> some say the second miracle was that he was a good man. isn't that the base qualification for being pope. >> yes. >> catholics identify with these men. is this an opportunity to bridge

what some consider a political divide within the church? >> i think that's an interesting observation and tempting in america, because we are so divided by a left-right calculus that the pope francis may indeed sympathy as a way of sending a message to american catholics that the left-right divide in politics should not in any way be determinative for catholic identity, that catholics should be catholics first and whatever their party identification is quite distinct from that. john paul ii, everyone loves him for his commitment to pro life and the cause of pro life in america has been dear to conservatives and therefore the left-right divide is a real thing in america and really does

hurt the church and hurt catholics in their understanding of their faith. >> and then there's francis. chad, thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. >> we have new video out of ukraine, in the eastern city, the smoke is coming from a ukrainian military helicopter that was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. the pilot was wounded. he managed to escape. it is not exactly clear who shot the chopper down, by it is one of several cities under the control of pro kremlin gunman. >> the ukraine situation is impacting russia's economy after being slapped with stiff sanctions from the u.s. and e.u. standard & poor's today cutting russia's rating on foreign and local occurrence, their rating now a triple b negative, one step above junk status.

last downgraded in december of 2008, it comes as money flowing out of russia ballooned to $50.6 billion since the start of this year. that's compared to $63 billion for all of last year. >> bolivia's military leaders are dismissing 700 soldiers protesting for better working conditions. the military says these men and women are attacking the honor of the armed forces, and that the protestors are committing acts of sedition and rebellion. they say they are discriminated against. protest leaders were fired monday. >> last week's ferry accident in south korea have more than 120 victims yet to be recovered from the sunken ship. there was an all nightstandoff,

relatives want government agencies to pick up the pace searching for bodies. >> the underwater search for the missing malaysian airlines jet widening. the sub scanning the ocean didn't find debris. they want to expand to adjacent areas. officials will release preliminary findings next week, including the plane's cargo manifest and aircraft seating arcment. >> the united nations says a convoy of food supplies came under attack in south sudan. grenades targeted small boats carrying aid thursday. the u.n. wasn't able to identify assailants, but military and rebel leaders denied responsibility. >> the south sudanese government ordered the release of four former politicians from prison. that's been a key demand of rebel fighters. >> this is the market in the southwest of south so dan in the country's green belt.

there's no shortage of food here, but elsewhere in the country, people have severe, acute malnutrition, people on the drink of starvation. this country is capable of producing enough food to feed itself with a surplus. the problem is it's so difficult to get the food around the country. even before this conflict started, there were enormous logistic difficulties and now those are made much harder. >> aljazeera reporting from south sudan. >> that nevada rancher at the standoff with the government losing support, now seen as a racist after a video surfaced about him talking about blacks. >> they abort their young children, they put their young men in jail because they never learned how to pick cotton. i've often wondered are they better off as slaves? >> the washington post obtained this video of bundy speaking

lately. he became the poster child pour an anti-government movement, his comments have been denounced. >> the number of americans who want to buy guns is skyrocketing, firearm applications up more than 380% from 2005. there's a backlog of more than 70,000 applications as a result, the a.t.f. temporarily suspending part of its computerized system and hiring more employees to speed up the application process. gun production also at a record high to meet that demand. more than 8.5 million guns are being made. >> the n.r.a. kicking off its annual convention, 70,000 people expected to attend in indianapolis. this year, the focus is on concealed weapons permits. all 50 states have them. the n.r.a. wants federal recognition allowing someone with a permit in one state to carry their gun in every state.

three hours north of that convention, a resurgence of gun violence shines a spotlight on gun control. we talked to an avoid gun rights activist in chicago who doesn't fit the mold. >> what we want to do is double time drill. >> he takes a fight fire with fire stance when it comes to countering gun violence. a card carrying member of the n.r.a., he argues a gun in the hands of a responsible firearm owner is the best way to avoid becoming a murder statistic in some of chicago's deadliest neighborhoods. >> this seems to be a notion that guns are for white people, the police and black criminals, that honest black people don't have anything to do with guns. that's the most ridiculous notion i ever heard, but there are a lot of people really buy into that idea. >> it is an unpopular stance in a city that counted 415 murders last year. more than 6800 illegal firearms

were seized in chicago last year. they've recovered more than 1700 illegal guns this year. >> last year, shootings in chicago turned the spotlight on the gun debate. >> something has to be done about the gun laws in the state of illinois. time and time again, every single year, we take more guns off the street than any police department in the country and nobody goes to jail for possession of those guns. >> that argument is rejected, saying gun laws in chicago do nothing more than tie the hands of legal gun owners. >> the only people protected are criminals. it didn't stop criminals from having or using guns, just stopped law abiding citizens to be in a position to defend themselves. >> 150,000 people in chicago have firearm identification cards, an increase of 30% in the last two years. in late december, i will i am became the last state to allow

conceal and carry. >> five guards, that's not going to be much. >> vernon said proper gun ownership education is essential. he has taught firearm safety for 25 years and recently began carrying classes. >> the first thing i teach is if you cannot handle a gun safely, you're better off not having one, because you're going to be a danger to the people around you and yourself more than to the so-called bad guys. >> it may seem counterintuitive, but vernon said facing down the barrel of a gun without one at your side leaves too much to chance. aljazeera, chicago. >> the centers for disease control asking congress to fund gun violence research. that money was cut from the budget in the mid 1990's. >> a scandal is rocking the homeland security department, a congressional investigation alleging the agencies former watchdog manipulated reports to senior obama administration

officials. charles edwards was put on administrative leave thursday pending an internal investigation. he was the homeland security's acting inspector general from 2011-2013. the report shows he routinely shared drinks and dinner with department leaders and gave them inside information about the timing and findings of his investigationles. >> former supreme court justice john paul stevens dropping the legal equivalent of a bombshell promoting his new book, saying he thinks marijuana should be legalized. stevens was on a tour for his new book six amendments in which he promotes six changes to the constitution, among them ending the death penalty and allowing gay marriage. stevens equated the legalization of possibility to the prohibition of alcohol saying it's not worth the cost, saying in time that will be the general consensus with respect to this particular drug. >> an arkansas judge struck down the state's new voter i.d. law, saying the plan violates the

state constitution. a county circuit judge overturned the measure because of the way absentee ballots would have been hand. a separate lawsuit filed last week directly challenges the law, requiring arkansas voters to show a photo i.d. before casting a ballot. >> some who live in harlem in new york are afraid to move home. they live near the two buildings destroyed by a gas explosion last month. the city evacuated four nearby buildings that were also damaged in the blast, fear of asbestos exposure is keeping some residents away. a lawsuit filed earlier this month claims testing showed elevated levels in samples of dust and debris from the explosion. >> there is a controversy erupting weeks before the opening of the september 11 museum in new york city, muslims are concerned about the way their religion is portrayed in a short film called the rise of al-qaeda.

>> muslims are too worried to talk too much. the imam here has resigned from an advisory role at the new september 11 memorial museum. easy concerned about how a six and a half minute film describes al-qaeda and its release to islam. off camera, muslims say they are worried about backlash from the film and their imam's objection to it, shared by the interfaith advisory committee which wants more context added to the film. >> this is a group of religious leaders directly impacted by 9/11. they are nod naive, they are not idealistic and come from a variety of perspectives. everyone thought the film fell short, and that it presented risks to an audience supposedly being educated. >> the film which we weren't

allowed to view is called the rise of al-qaeda. critics who did see it said it doesn't do enough to extinguish the violent faction of islam from the majority of the world's muslims who reject that ideology. >> 5 million people come to visit the world trade center site. the museum bills itself asen education center, which is why critics say it is so important to get the portrayal of muslims right. >> museum officials refuse to make changes, speaking exclusively to aljazeera, they say the film was exhaustively vetted. >> we're using the words that are used to describe this particular stream of thinking and action within the broader muslim community. there's no effort on our part to characterize all muslims in this way. >> critics fear that is exactly how the film will be seen. in the course of objections from muslim groups i also growing as opening day approaches.

>> the september 11 museum opens its doors may 21. >> tapping into the power of the sun, for the last 60 years solar power coming a long way from when it began. >> the state leading the charge making sure it has a bright future in america's energy production.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. just ahead, the growing support that solar energy is seeing celebrating a major milestone. >> first, a look at the soggy forecast, the wet forecast across the country today. good morning, ebony. >> good morning, it's going to be wet and stormy. we still have snow to talk about, so a mixed bag is what we're dealing with. in the west, we're seeing the bad luck of the snow, moisture coming in from the pacific where

we expect six up wards to 12 inches of snow before the weekend is out. anywhere between four and 6,000 feet, that's where you're going to see wintery weather. our storm system is really starting to take shape. this is the one to watch moving eastward over the weekend, helping to trigger that threat of severe weather across the southern plains. across the upper midwest, we've had snow coming the duluth area. winding around that lots of rainfall. we will continue to see that rain push eastward, getting in around new jersey where we've been dealing with wildfires. we'll see more of this rain moving into the northeast saturday. >> i'm glad the rain's get to go new jersey, april showers, good. >> may flowers. >> forest fires, too. a big victory for workers in silicon valley, companies settling a class action lawsuit with 64,000 engineers.

google, and other companies accused of holding down salaries. lawyers had been seeking flee billion dollars in damages. >> it's been 60 years since the first solar powered cell was in vented. the u.s. still hasn't maximized it's potential compared to other countries. we look at the promises are harnessing the sun. >> another solar panel goes up on a rooftop in los angeles. l.a. is the number one u.s. city for solar energy, producing 132 megawatts. officials want 20% have the cities electricity to come from the sun by 2020 and california is committed to having a million solar rooftops by 2016. as california goes, so goes the world. solar power is at last taking off said the head of europe's

solar energy institute. >> costs have come down so much that it is competitive and it is much below household electricity rates. >> the sun has been the principal source of energy for life on earth for three and a half billion years. people figured out how to turn sunlight into electricity. >> in the tones of a 1950's news real, bell labs announced the first photo cell. >> men have harnessed the sun. here is a battery mounted in the protective case of clear mastic. >> the renewal's policy institute threw a birthday party last week. >> this is commemorating the break through in technology. it is the cornerstone of what is going to help us move forward to a safer, cleaner, more secure

world. >> the last living member of the team achieved the break through. >> it is amazing what has happened in the last 10 years. in the beginning, it was very difficult. you had to educate the public so what is this, what can it do. nobody ever heard about this device. >> the power of the sun together with wind and other renewable sources may be the key to controlling climate changed caused by industrialization. experts say solar power development must be speeded up. >> for 10% solar coverage, we need 10,000 and at the moment, we are installing 50 gigabytes per year. >> man has at last dipped his hand into the sun and drown down a spark to warm the hearts of men. >> solar energy is all grown up, but it still has a long way to go.

>> germany ranks number one for using the most solar energy in the world. the u.s. is number four. >> but we try harder. well, that's going to do it for this edition of aljazeera america. >> have a great morning, and happy friday. have a great weekend, too.

>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello, there, welcome to the news hour. coming up in the next 60 minutes, regaining control, ukraine's military pushes out prorussia rebels from the east, as one of its helicopters is blown up at a military base. president obama visits soul in the concern that china is planning another nuclear attack. and a suicide bombing in pakistan's largest